Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-01-23
THE OHIORIVER ROAD.
POINT PLEASANT BOUND T0WHEELING By
THE TIES OF THE EXTENSION
OF the Ohio River Railroad From Parksnburg 70
Point Pleasant Stretching Away Along tho
Southern Bank Of the Beautiful River
Scsary along THE Line Places Of
Interest BIC BE.

train over the extension of the Ohio River
Railroad. reached Point Pleasant this
evening and its arrival marks an era Ill
the history Of the old town. The hustle
upon its streets, the hurying to and fro
about the depOts, the scream OF steam
whistles. the rumbling OF heavy trans over
the great bridge spanning the ONO, the
: strangers arriving and departing, all give
evidence, that the spell is broken, that
the Whitening curse of COrnstalk has ceased
in its blighting influence. and that the
mace is emerging from the lcthargic sleep
which like 4 hideOuS nightmare has rested
upon it for more than 4 century.
More than fifty years ago Henry Clay
said: Point Pleasant always reminds me
OF a beautiful woman clad in rags but
if the old Kentucky statesman could be-
hold her to-day he would see the stamp OF
improvement upon her, and her people
inspired with Il determination to stand
abreast of her Jealous and ~ungenerOuS
rivals.
The country through which the road
/ extends is one OF the greatest fertility ana
aboundS in rich mineral resources, while
the scenery along the whole extent Is
grandly beautiful. For l13 miles it
stretches away along the southern bank OF
the Ohio, and almost every mile Is marked
by some spot around which lin%er the
memories and cling the association OF
Pioneer times or OF later days. Along tho
entire route from Wheeling to Point Pleas
ant, from the north window of the coach,
NAV he seen the Ohio flowing OH ~ gently
and maiesticully aS when the carly French
y~oyagcurs bestowed upon it the name 0l
La Belle RiriCrC-" Beautiful River; y
while all around stretches away the broad
eXpanse of bottom, from the margin oi
which rise terrace above terrace, long
ranges of hills, either covered with forest
or cultivated fields, and dotted with or
chards and hOmcStcadS-the abode OF hap
pineSS and COntentment.
Leaving Point Pleasant, the traveller
finds himself whirling through some of the
best agricultural lands in the State. Six
miles up and he is crossing the treStle over
Old Town, 4 stream deriving its name
from the Old Shawnee Town, which once
stood upon the triangular point of land
which he sees on the left.
4 half mile farther ON, just by the road
side on the. right, stands u brick mission
house. erected about the year ISIS by DR..
lessee Bennett, one of the first Regularly
educated physicians ON the Ohio, and u
surgeon in the army of General Harrison
in the Northwest during the war of lol2.
4 grey granite monument, q few hundred
yards below the residence, IN plain view
from the windows, marks the place of his
burial.
4 halfmile farther on, on the left and
within a few yards of the track stand three
snowy monuments. Beneath one sleeps
Hon. John Hall, President of the Conven-
ton that framed the first Constitution OF
West Virginia aud under the Others rcpOSe
the remains of his two sonS-MaiOr John
+. of the It'll West Virginia Infantry, killed
at the battle of Kcmneday'S Hill, Virginia,
August Is, 1852; and Lientenant-C Colonel
James H., of the 18th Wet Virginia In
Eantry, who was killed 1T the battle 0t
Cedar Creek, Virginia, October H., l~6l.
The level country now spread around
and Of many miles i'll IIcI, Is called
Pleasant Fiat" and its fertility is un-
/ surpassed in the State. Throughout It's
wide extent stand the stately homes oi
wealth, culture ard refinement.
Three miles further and Camden
Mines are reached. These we've opened
/. in lSG9; the property belonged To j. y.
Camden, W. Chancellor and =. Johnson,
but the mines were opened by T.. thinner
? man. 4. Mcdonald and l.. Folsom, doing
business under the linn name OF T.. Iim-
norman x Co, who allcward sold t0a cor
porati0n known rs the consolidated Coal
and Mining Co." The owners have here u
rich coal field, the products Of which will
shortly De- known all along the line.
Another mile and West Columbia is
reached, twelve miles from Point Pleasant.
+ The first mention of the place is in Wash
i%ngtOn's Journal ollie, in which he says
there was here II coal hill on lire" The
town wa laid out in ISL by the proprie.
tors, John Hall, Moses Michael and John
McCullOch, with Thomas G.. ilOgg, grand
father al Congressman elect C.. r. llogy,
surveyor. The first settlers We're Lemuel
IlarpOld, Samuel Nrager, Robert Adams,
q. II. and l.. Van Matrr, and DIR. \. l..
Knight. The first salt wells were drilled
in the spring of lSi1 by Lewis and limo
thy Russell. In Isis, u company
composed oil Thomas Friend, Ahra-
ham Williams and W. J. Steph"NS-all
practical salt manufacturers .fro.L the
Kanawh a s~alines, bnilt a large furnace at
this place. 1t was the first salt furnace on
the Ohio river. The first mines We opened
in l-ll, ny Col. G.. Il. Thomas and James
Foley, both of Point pleasant, who, after
shipping Il small quantity Of coal sold the
property tn Bnrnett Il WOOdson, of Gin
]einnati, who continued Ia ship coal until
lS52, when they sold to u corporation
which began business under the name of
the wet Columbia Mining and Manu-
featuring Company with a capital of
$500, O00. ". i. Robbins, OF Cincinnati,
WAS President, and Elisha Mack, Secretary.
Two miles above aud the conductor call
ed Clifton" The first settlement here
dates back tn the year lSJ3, when McSsrS.
Thomas CLARK, Thomas Stewart, and
Thomas and Henry Potts formed a CO.
operative company Tor the development of
the coal seam, which had been previously
discovered. In lS5~, the lands passed in
to the possession Of Thomas SurteeS and
Francis Craig, and two Years later they
were purchased by Robert Il. Wilson and
the place came To be- known Us wilson's
Mines In ls66 the property was pur-
chased by III. e.. Daniels and others who
changed the name 10 Clifton Mines and
also bestowed the name of Clifton upon
the dozen houses reared in the vicinity.
In 1861, two salt furnaceS-the Virginia
and B~edfOrd-were erected. The Virgin
ia is now wrecked but the Bedford is
owned and operated by the Ohio and West
Virginia Mining and Manufacturing Co.
This is the home of Hon. Il. J.. Redmond,
late q candidate before the Republican
Convention for Congress.
Another mile and the train slows up
at Mason City, where the company has
erected n large depot and putdown n thou
sand feet of siding. The town was sur
veyed in lS53 by l.. II. E. Burnap, and
the mines were opened the same year by
L. c. NJ. Lowell and +. c. III. Smith, who
erected the first salt furnace in lSj6. The
second was built in $50 by the Hope Com
pany. Here WAS manufactured the first
brOmine made on the Ohio. In 1865, there